Vanessa Kroll Bennett is a puberty expert, writer and podcaster who helps adults navigate uncertainty while supporting the kids they love. She writes personal essays for Scary Mommy on the beautiful and hilarious mess of raising tweens and teens.
Vanessa is the co-author of This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained (coming October 2023 from Penguin Random House), co-host of The Puberty Podcast and President of Content at Order of Magnitude, the leading brand dedicated to flipping puberty positive.
The founder of Dynamo Girl, a company designed to build kids' self-esteem through sports classes and puberty education, Vanessa hosts Conversations on Parenting and Beyond at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She writes regularly about parenting tweens and teens in her Uncertain Parenting Newsletter.
Vanessa is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds a Masters in Jewish History. Most importantly, Vanessa thinks tweens and teens are the funniest, smartest people, including her own four children, ages 13 to 20. You can find her on Instagram @vanessakrollbennett and on TikTok @spillingthepubertea!
The Nitty-Gritty 411 On Balls
Are you completely mystified by these hanging appendages? Don’t worry — we got you.
Don’t Let Summer Start Without Having These Convos With Your Kids
Let’s set everybody up for success here, shall we?
You Can Ask Your Grandma Things You'd Never Ask Your Mom
Grandparents can play a special role in their grandkids’ lives, because they have a freedom that parents don’t.
Lay Off The Sephora Tweens
Why is everyone OK being mean to young girls?
What To Do When Your Kids Want To Hang Out At The House With No Rules
After all, we all had friends with this house growing up, and visiting their houses was AWESOME.
Your Kid Loved Summer Camp. Here's How To Nurture That Feeling All Year Long
Camp's done, school's up. What you can do as a parent to keep them feeling the spirit.
How To Prepare Your Kid To Get Their Period At School
There’s the what of the period and the how of the period. Here’s how you can talk to your kid ahead of time.
I Draw The Line At Butt Cheeks Showing & I’m Not Sorry
Wow, the shorts on kids these days are short.
Your Kid Wants To Quit An Activity. Do You Let Them?
It’s important to respect their autonomy... but those cleats weren’t free, either.
Olivia The Pig Showed Me How To Raise A Passionate Kid
Thank you, Ian Falconer, for the road map I so desperately needed.
I Banned My Kid From Snapchat, & Oh Boy The Blowback Was Rough
Put the f*ing phone down.
I'm Hormonal And Living With Four Very Hormonal Kids — Send Help
What happens when we’re all pissy from hormones? Nothing good, that’s what.
We Do Our Kids A Disservice Making Them Specialize In Sports Too Soon
Sports meant so much to me, but they’ve changed completely since I was a kid.
My Daughter Wanted Her Ears Double Pierced. Why Did I Care So Much?
I responded in a classic parental knee-jerk fashion but I realized I was wrong.
Talking About Sex With Our Kids In A Post-Roe World
What are we supposed to say now?
I Was A Crappy Parent Of Toddlers
Give yourself permission not to love every stage of your kids’ lives.
Reminder: Your Kid’s First Dance Isn’t Make-Or-Break, So Relax
There is so much more life to be lived.
What I Said When My Kid Asked, ‘Mom, What's the Playboy Mansion?’
I never lie to my kid or purposely avoid any question — even the hard ones.
When Your Tween Dumps All Their Sh*t On You
It was like a hormonal chain of command where she needed to put it on someone, and I was the lucky recipient.
Boys Have Mood Swings, Too
The uneven ebb and flow of testosterone might present as physical aggressiveness, anger, or simply utter silence.
